10 Years After Katrina, Book Talk by Roberta Brandes Gratz

 

Above: Photo of Uptown New Orleans by Eric Bouler  

Please join LANDMARK WEST! as we remember Hurricane Katrina (2005)
and celebrate 10 years of steady urban regeneration 

in the historic city of New Orleans.

Wednesday, September 9, 6:30PM
A Book Talk by Roberta Brandes Gratz*

award-winning journalist, urban critic and author of the newly released
We're Still Here Ya Bastards: How the People of New Orleans Rebuilt Their City

Book Culture on Columbus**
450 Columbus Avenue (between 81st & 82nd Streets)

Tickets $15 ($10 for members of LW!)
RSVP - space is limited
landmarkwest@landmarkwest.org or (212) 496-8110
or reserve online through Eventbrite

Talk followed by book signing and reception
Books available for purchase from Book Culture

On August 29, 2005, an ill wind swept across New Orleans. Her name was Katrina.

So begins RBG's riveting account of a historic city's near-destruction and, against all odds, rebirth. "Cities are never lacking in wise, energetic, passionate, and dedicated citizens who know how to rebuild their communities. New Orleans has more than its share of such citizens. They are the ones most responsible for their city's recovery."
 

What others are saying:

"Gratz provides a moving chronicle of the efforts of a real people to rebuild their battered city in the fact of bad engineering, cynical politicians, incompetent bureaucrats and greedy developers...This book is an absolute must read for anyone who cares about the future of our communities and nation."
- Richard Florida, author of The Rise of the Creative Class and professor at NYU 

"In this powerful book, Roberta Brandes Gratz turns her deep understanding of the work of Jane Jacobs into an astonishing account of how imaginative community activists like Jacobs emerge and grow in the wake of a disaster like Katrina. In virtually every domain of urban life-in housing, health care, education, economic development, and environmental protection-she discovers New Orleanians... A masterpiece of reportage and analysis!"
- Richard Rabinowitz, Phd, President, American History Workshop



*ABOUT ROBERTA BRANDES GRATZ
A Greenwich Villager by birth; a world traveler, lecturer and writer by profession; and an Upper West Sider by choice, Roberta Brandes Gratz began her preservation journey as a copy girl and went on to pen an award-winning-and game-changing series of articles probing the city's then-nascent landmarks process for the New York Post in 1973. Her coverage led directly to strengthening the Landmarks Law and set the stage for protecting more than 25,000 places covered by the Law in the years since. With Jane Jacobs, she founded The Center for the Living City. As a member of the Landmarks Preservation Commission from 2003 to 2010, and right on till today, Roberta is an outspoken defender of the New York's historic neighborhoods, including her own beloved West Side. She splits her time between New York and New Orleans. (for more about Roberta, visit www.robertabrandesgratz.com)

**ABOUT BOOK CULTURE
"As Upper West Siders, we want to start turning the tide right here in our own community, on a current trend that sees independent bookstores - and the power of choice that comes along with them - disappearing at an alarming rate. As New Yorkers, we want to do our part to make sure that our city's rich history and reputation for being home to writers, publishing houses, editors, and bookstores, remains intact - as does our city's position as the literary capital of the world." (excerpted from www.bookculture.com)

Inspiring Dreamers :: Youth education all year 'round!

Over the past few weeks, LW! has been working with the "I Have a Dream" Foundation (IHDF) at the De Hostos-Wise Community Center on West 93rd Street through Keeping the Past for the Future, our youth education program.

Through IHDF, the De Hostos-Wise Dreamers (14 and 15 year olds) all receive long-term support such as tutoring, extracurricular activities, summer programs, and tuition assistance for their college education. This summer, the teens have partnered with LW! to examine the immediate neighborhood around where they live and go to school. Embodying the roles of preservation architects and urban planners, the Dreamers started with a thorough survey of buildings on 93rd and 92nd Streets, looking at each building’s function, condition, materials, windows, alterations, etc.

With a new sense of the spaces and structures that they pass by every day, the students began to question, “What makes a great neighborhood?” They considered the places that they particularly love in their community--from the corner deli to the basketball courts--and wondered what else they need. What could they add to the neighborhood that would truly enhance it for its residents? Working in groups of three, the students created “idea boards” for their designs.

The first group created an inspired 3-D model of a multi-level shopping complex,
with brand-name stores, an adjoining hotel, and a public green space with sitting area.

The next group designed a community recreation center, with an indoor pool,
multiple basketball courts, and a food court on the main level.

The final group envisioned a “green” movie theatre, surrounded
by a park, with a café, and a community green roof.

Finally, to see architecture and urban planning in action, the Dreamers were invited to visit Perkins Eastman Architects near Union Square. Associate Tracy Maher introduced us to the work of the firm and gave us a great tour of the offices, including a peek into the model-making workshop! Architect Ayo Yusuf talked to us about how one would enter the field, and his experiences as an architect. Michael Imranyi showed us a 3-D computer rendering of a project in the Middle East and a physical model of a shopping complex in Long Island.  Proof positive that architect and urban planning knows no geographic boundaries!

Thanks so much to Marvin Cabrera at "I Have a Dream" Foundation for his help in coordinating this summer program as well as to Fran Rosenfeld, a member of the LW! Education Committee, for her support with the program and for coordinating our visit to Perkins Eastman.

Keeping the Past for the Future is supported, in part, by public funds from New York City Council Member Gale Brewer via the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and the NYC Department of Education.

GUEST BLOG :: The Future of Development on the Upper West Side

An Intern's Perspective
As reported by Kate Gilmore (more on Kate below!)

The NYC Dept. of City Planning Zoning Handbook

This year marks the 50th Anniversary of the New York City zoning resolution. The last comprehensive resolution was adopted in 1961, and since then the document has been tweaked and expanded from the original 81 pages to nearly 1,000 pages!  It is a complex patchwork of regulations that only a few city planning veterans understand, yet it governs the shape of our beloved city. What to do?


This past semester I participated in a graduate level, urban planning studio led by Elliott Sclar, Professor of Urban Planning and the Director of the Center for Sustainable Urban Development (CSUD).  We examined the impact of the current zoning on an iconic New York City neighborhood, the Upper West Side. The studio grappled with the difficult question of how to balance preservation and development.

Photo: LANDMARK WEST!

The studio of nine students began by focusing on the iconic Central Park West skyline and used the skyline as a lens to understand the forces that have impacted the Upper West Side. As seen in the timeline below, the skyline has been shaped by different theories of urbanism and government interventions over time.

Click to view this image in enlarged PDF format.
Image: From Columbia studio final report; graphic by Alex Wallach

Using history to understand where the UWS has been, the studio was better able to plan for where it is going. Putting the case study of the UWS into the larger framework of New York City, the studio analyzed how institutional decisions impact the character of the City’s neighborhoods. Ultimately, the studio developed an integrated approach that considers community input and regulatory recommendations in order to proactively shape future growth that is sensitive to neighborhood character.

Tying proposed solutions back to original problems.
Image: Columbia Studio final report

On June 23, 2011, an informal gathering of some of the leading thinkers in the fields of planning, preservation, law and real estate convened to hear the studio's final presentation. The presentation led to a lively discussion and debate.  Re-occurring themes emerged including the opacity of the as-of-right development process, the need to re-evaluate our current set of planning tools, and much more! The studio's hope is that this meeting is the first of many that will lead to an ongoing dialogue in preparation for a Zoning symposium this Fall at Columbia University.  Access the full report via the Columbia Univ. website (click here); stay tuned to LW's YouTube channel for video of the June presentation!

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Kate Gilmore is a second year graduate student at Columbia's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.  She is completing a dual degree in Urban Planning and Historic Preservation. Before coming to LW!, Kate has been hard at work finishing her first year of coursework in Urban Planning. She loves exploring the forces that shape different New York City neighborhoods (zoning, historic districts, development, etc.) and has spent a lot of time attending community boards meetings this past year to see how community input factors into the planning and preservation process.

Look forward to more from Kate throughout the summer here on the LW! blog.